MPD officer who drove into home has history of alcohol problems

MILWAUKEE -- A Milwaukee police sergeant is on desk duty after police say he crashed his car into a house while driving drunk. 49-year-old Sergeant Charles Cross has been disciplined twice before for drinking, and is currently being investigated for claiming overtime he did not earn.

Nina Krasic was at home with her three kids when a car driven by Cross rammed into the side of her home near 79th and Howard. "First I thought that my house collapsed, and I was really scared, because my son was in the basement. I was screaming his name and he didn't answer," Krasic said.

The Milwaukee Police Department says Cross was off-duty and intoxicated. His blood alcohol concentration was over twice the legal limit. "He couldn't walk straight. He was talking nonsense like 'highway's here.' I'm like 'no,'" Krasic said.

When FOX6 News told Krasic the man behind the wheel was a police officer, she said, "Somebody should take responsibility for this."

In 2007, Cross underwent therapy dealing with alcohol abuse and chronic depression after threatening to kill himself while drunk with his police issued weapon. Cross was fired over this incident, but got his job back after winning an appeal.

Cross was suspended for a second time in 2009 after he got drunk and slapped a woman.

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